"After all, we cannot know what we are going to express. What is really creative is bound to be a surprisebecause it is something we couldn't have thought of. This is the thing that we resist the most. We want toknow where we are going, why we are doing it, and what it is going to give to us. We want to know it all.To be creative means becoming more familiar with being a little lost. If we are always full of what wewant to do, there is no room for the new."- Michell Cassou

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Monday, January 31, 2011

I had a fantastic weekend. I drove down to the NE Quilt Museum to see my friends and fellow SAQA members at the NE SAQA show, No Holds Barred". It was great to see people who I have recently enjoyed the camaraderie of creating fiber art with as well as old friends and acquaintances. I met some new people too while looking at the fabulous fiber art on the walls. SAQA events are worth the trip when the showing of members work is involved. This is an awesome and inspiring group of people! I am so happy to represent such a wonderful organization!

Monday, January 24, 2011

"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is the way great spiritual giants are produced." ~ Swami Vivekananda

I'm working toward my book today. I need to drown out any other noise in my head and focus. Gotta go. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Ah! Where has the month gone? Just yesterday it was New Years, right? But how did we get to the middle of the month? How did it sneak up on me? I feel like I have blinked.
I have a lot of catching up to do... if you think this is bad, you should see my studio! or not!

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." ~ Marilyn Monroe

No, really. Hmmmm. What have I been doing?

I guess I have been working on the NEXT SAQA EVENT. I am helping Alexandra Nickerson, (see photo in past blog entry) to organize a fantastic weekend for our next SAQA gathering. I'm very excited about it. We will start out with a group dinner on Friday evening. Thenenjoy two workshops Saturday, one on approaching galleries with your work, the artists bio & CV by Rae Harrell, and what the juror sees, the other side of the coin, by Valarie Poitier. Saturday evening will end with an incredible show and tell by our members. Sunday morning, after breakfast and checking out of our hotels, we will drive to Jericho, VT as a group to tour two artist studios before saying our goodbyes!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

In reference to the above quote....I call it, the time when the planets and stars line up... that moment, when you just "know" that what you are doing is right and the creativity is oozing out of you like sap from a maple tree on a warm sunny March day. It's the time when you forget to eat, or go to the bathroom until you realize that you are ravenous, or your bladder will completely burst. You are just so caught up in what is happening in front of you you cannot stop. "How did that happen?," you ask! You are "out of body" and everything is o.k.! In fact it's heaven and you don't ever want to leave.

Hey! I want to be there now... please! Don't tell me I need to take the baby steps, the jump starts and warm ups to get there. I want to leap there, now, cold turkey. I am an artist, right? Isn't that all it takes? I just claim the title and voila, the sketchbook will perfectly happen?

O.K. I get it. I'll start at the beginning of the trail, walk the walk, and read the signs as I go. The more experienced I am, the more I will be able to jump over to get to the summit faster and explore the higher elevations.
There is lots more at the top. Who knows how the altitude will affect me. Then, after awhile, I'll leap from the top without a net and free fall into a new territory.

Monday, January 3, 2011

"We are not blocked creatives; we are creatives putting up blocks, because the flow of creativity is so overwhelming that we short circuit." ~ Annette Carol Compton, from Drawing from the mind, painting from the heart

Today is the first day of the rest of my life...

I'm diving in to better habits, health and happiness. Come on 2011, show me what you got. I'm armed and dangerous with my sketchbook!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

"Your mindset is the soil in which you are planting each and every dream seed" - Amy Ahlers

Excuse me, while I take this time to create a progress chart the old fashioned way, with glue, markers and funky things. It's time to confront the resolutions head on... and start the Sketchbook project and several other creativity enhancers to help make 2011 a grand year!
Let the games begin!